Hero of truth
by Quantum Tesseract
Summary: What does it mean to be a hero of truth? Surely, it is not as simple as not lying, or working to uncover what is hidden. What, then, could be a counterpoint to N's unflinching ideals? Flames are welcomed, although I prefer constructive criticism.
1. A new legend

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon**

Truth: sincerity in action, character, and utterance; the state of being the case

* * *

A pair of massive objects, one black and one white, move across the sky. The air is lit by fire and electricity, painting everything in stark relief. There is a noise, too quiet to hear over the roars of the beasts, that I strain myself in a vain attempt to understand. Suddenly, my world is filled with a blinding light.

* * *

I wake up, my heart beating loudly and adrenalin flowing through my body. It's one of those nights. It isn't really accurate to call them nightmares—they are exciting, and I don't feel frightened or worried. However, they are exceptionally vivid, and while they aren't all the same, they are similar. I think back- what day is it? How much do I have left to do?

Then it hits me like a ton of bricks. Today is Thursday, which means I have completed all my testing. I have finally graduated. Now, graduating in Unova isn't like other places. Our school system is a joke. Most training for jobs is on the site, and school does little to prepare us for the world. Nuvema town is slightly different. Ten years ago the town attempted to curry favor with Professor Juniper. Although it failed, they still extended schooling by two years. Thus instead of becoming trainers at twelve like everyone else, we have to wait until tenth grade. They don't just let you pass, either. You need good grades in order to graduate. Instead of increasing interest in science, this rule has parents going to other towns to sign up.

I'm not like everyone else. Schoolwork, especially math, comes easily to me. Between summer courses and extra studying, I've managed to finish early. In fact, I was almost overqualified for the finals. Compared to the study for the classes, taking the Pokémon league trainer exams is a breeze. I'm not quite twelve, but there is no rule against starting early— I've checked. I mailed in my paperwork, including my choice in starter. I want an Axew or Drilbur, although a Zorua might be neat. First choice is limited to the well connected or rich. A kid can dream though, right?

Perhaps starting early doesn't seem important, but to me, it's everything. I've never been one for organized sports. I enjoy biking and skiing, butthe area in which I live is not well suited to it. Instead, I spend most of my time reading. While there is nothing wrong with this, the speed at which I read means that I am always out of books. This, combined with my long held obsession with Pokémon, has me far more excited to get my starter than almost anyone else in my class.

Bored, I flip open my laptop. It was a gift from my mom for graduating 8th grade. It is slow, but it is much better than going to the library every time I want to read a book. It's early in the morning, so nothing has been posted, but I still check anyway. I spent the next our surfing the web, looking at a few of my favorite forums and rereading a few webcomics. To my shock, at 11:00 I received an email from Professor Juniper. Professor Juniper is a world renowned scientist, and is rarely seen around the town. I wouldn't have believed that she knew I existed. I quickly opened it up, wondering what she could possibly have sent me. Is it simply spam, pretending to be from the professor?

 _Dear Black,_

 _Would you come to my lab at 3:00? Your school work appears to indicate dedication and intelligence. While it is hardly the best measure for determining skills, it is all I have. I was hoping you could help me with a project I am currently working on. Considering your love of Pokémon, this project should be perfect for you. The door will allow you in._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Dr. A Juniper_

 _Pokémon Professor_

Surprised but flattered, I shoot off a message to my mom. I have to prepare for my meeting with the woman who is likely the greatest scientific mind in all Unova. I don't believe for a second that that is all she knows, though. If she wanted more info on me, she could have it in minutes.

* * *

3:00 simply can't come fast enough for me. The first half hour or so was spent with me frantically researching more on the professor. After that, I got ahold of myself. I looked through my notes, refreshing my knowledge of what we covered in science. Then, I went on Wikipedia and researched some more, both about her and about her specialty. All that was twenty minutes ago, and I am pacing my room, wishing all the while that the clock will move faster.

Finally, after what seems like an eternity, it is 2:40. I can go over now. As I walk, I wonder why she might have asked _me_ to come over. Surely she has colleagues who can aid her? The only thing I can think of is that she has something involving Pokémon that she needs help with. Why would she need me, though? Does she not want it getting out just yet? Perhaps she has made a discovery, and needs more information? Or maybe- I cut that line of thinking off. I have no way to know, and she is about to tell me. I don't have any information, so it's pointless to speculate.

It is almost a relief when I arrive at the lab. Sure, I'll need to make a good impression, but I'll finally learn the answer to my questions. As I open the door, I can't help but realize how small it is. While the building is large and the entrance is fancy, the inside is almost cramped. Despite being much larger then my house, it seems almost cluttered.

When I meet her, it seems almost anticlimactic. I've spent the last couple of hours psyching myself up for it, so when I saw her it was almost a letdown. As she talks, it strikes me just how ordinary she is.

Professor Juniper: "Hi there! I've been waiting for you. As you well know, I am Professor Juniper, and I am researching how Pokémon came into existence. In particular, I wish to understand the differences between them. What are abilities? How does a duck contain enough water to douse a fire? What makes a Grumpig Psychic, but an Emboar Fire? To help with this, I would like to give you a rare Pokémon that was recently found. It is a Snivy, but with the contrary ability rather than growth."

I can almost feel my eyes bulging out of my sockets. Pokémon with the different abilities aren't unheard of. Some Pokémon, like Krookodile, have two abilities. However, there is a recently discovered phenomenon. They are called hidden abilities, in which many Pokémon have a second or even third ability. This Snivy is clearly one of them- Snivy doesn't ordinarily have a second ability. Hidden ability Pokémon are even rarer than Shinies. To give one to an 11 year old is unheard of.

Even as I think this, she continues speaking. "In addition to this, I would also like to give you the newest model Pokedex. Please record data on every Pokémon you encounter. I hope you will explore Unova. I would also like a daily status check of the Snivy. Please let us know if the hidden ability has any surprising affects."

Now my eyes are really bulging. I couldn't have even dreamed of affording the first model Pokedex, much less this new one. How rich is the professor that, she can give out both of these without a care? I'll have to listen carefully, though. I think she's wrapping up.

"I've taken the liberty of getting your trainer's pass early. It ordinarily wouldn't be here until Saturday or Sunday. I must admit, I was a bit impatient to start getting results. I know that rushing won't make the wait any shorter, but I wanted something to do. Oh, and before I forget, can you do something for me? When you get to Striaton City, go and visit a friend of mine. Her name in Fennel, and she is a world famous inventor. Do you understand?" In response to this, I can only nod dumbly. "Alright, then. Good luck, and take care!"

As I walk out the doors, I dimly recall that this is what I've been waiting for. My first Pokémon. What should I nickname it? I've always felt that not giving your Pokémon a name is a sign of disrespect. Searching my memory, I recall an ancient Kanto legend about an emperor and his famous sword. Sending out my Snivy, I say "Welcome to the team, Kusanagi."

As I left the lab, my mind was in a whirl. I had my new Pokémon, I had a Pokedex— everything I'd dreamed of and more. In fact, I was so distracted that I almost walked straight in to my mom. She greeted me, commenting:

"Oh there you are! And? What did Professor Juniper have to ask you about?"

I wordlessly show her the Snivy and the Pokedex. She must be as shocked as I felt, because it's a whole minute before she can respond. When she does, it's muted.

"I can't believe it! Well, here's something to help you on your journey. Pokémon really are something. With one like that on your side, you'll be safe wherever you go. Oh, and before I forget, take this X-Transceiver. I was planning to wait for your birthday, but if you're travelling you'll want to be able to call people. I've taken the liberty of entering myself. Take care, and don't forget to call."

With a smile on my face, I walked out of Nuvema town into a wider world.

* * *

As I step onto route 1, I wave to two of my friends, Bianca and Cheren. They are just year and one and a half years older than me, respectively. Due to a coincidence in the time of year we were born at, they started two grades above me. Bianca's a little flighty, but smarter then she seems, while Cheren was Valedictorian. He is very serious and dedicated. It may seem odd that we are friends, but despite our bickering we just seemed to click into place. I'm a more recent addition to the group, but I seem to be a balance their constant arguments. Of course, most of them involve Bianca's nonexistent sense of time. Yah, I'm not exactly innocent in them.

For once they appear to be in a good mood rather than upset. As I run over, I call out, asking what has got them so happy. Beaming, Bianca turns and relates their own meeting with professor Juniper. They said that they had to wait for the third person she had picked out, but that our travel plans were still on. After that, I explained that I was the third person, with a contrary Snivy. They were more than happy to show off their shell armor Oshawott and thick fat Tepig.

Immediately, Cheren challenged me to a battle. He pointed out that this would probably be the only chance we had to check our Pokémon's potential. After this, it would be decided by type advantage.

In the battle, my Kusanagi stomped his Tepig, Flare. It easily outpaced it, running around and knocking it down after it took one too many scratches. It tried to do the same to Bianca's Oshawott, Shell, but Shells's scalchop gave it the win. Kusanagi's scratches didn't do much to a shell, and its attacks really hurt. Flare managed to take out Shell. Its attacks were just too strong to take, and because it was blunt impact it wasn't stopped by the scalchop.

Afterword, Bianca challenges us to see who can catch more Pokémon in the next year. Cheren, not wanting to be outdone, immediately agrees, and I also acquiesce. It looks like the trip won't just be about training.

* * *

 **A/N: If you had read the first or second posted draft of the chapter, be warned that this one is different. This is a combination of my previous first 3 chapters in an attempt to reach a reasonable length. I am willing to listen to criticism of any sort.**


	2. Clash of Ideals

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon**

That which can be destroyed by the truth should be- P.C. Hodgell

* * *

As we enter Accumula town, I am surprised at its size. I've seen bigger, but I wasn't paying as much attention. Now, though, I am aware that it is much, much bigger than Nuvema. After checking in at the Pokémon center for the night, our group heads to meet the nurse joy. When we ask about the stands we saw, she tells us of a big speech in the town green tomorrow by Team Plasma. Intrigued, I flip open my laptop to do some research.

Okay, Team Plasma is a major Pokémon rights activist group. There's not a lot known about them, but what there is is legitimate. It seems like it's on the up and up, but there are a lot of tinfoil hats making claims. No one seems to have any proof, though. Their leader is some guy named Natural Harmonius Gropius. They've been around for years, but it's only recently that they became a major player. Huh. Seems worth looking into.

Cheren must find something about it interesting, because he asks if we want to attend. Bianca and I are both quick to agree, but I don't know why she said yes. She has not even opened her laptop. Maybe she just trusts our judgement? I guess we'll just have to wait and see what the idea is here. Seeing that it's past nine, I wish them goodnight and get ready to go to sleep.

* * *

I wake up at 5:30 in the morning. Seems like I'm still on my school time schedule. As I get up, I realize that the speech isn't until 11:00. Seems I'll have to kill some time.

I'm just settling down for a huge breakfast when Bianca enters comes into the dining area. It seems she couldn't sleep either. After a tired greeting, I go back to eating. Neither of us can really think right now.

It's twenty minutes before Bianca breaks the silence.

"I was just wondering. What does the someone in someone's PC mean? I mean, someone can't be someone's name… uh, no one would name their kid someone. "

I admit similar confusion. All I can think of is that they didn't want to advertise their name, but didn't want to use a pseudonym. I don't think it's a good idea, either.

"Huh. Well, I was just curious. Anyway, what do you think I should buy? I mean, Potions and Poké Balls are definitely important. Um, thinking…"

I respond that it depends on what she wants. She already has two Pokémon, so she might not need more Poké Balls. However, it might be a good idea to have some on hand, just in case she finds a Pokémon that she wants. Why is she asking this? She knows that.

"I suppose you're right…"

In an attempt to alleviate some boredom, I wander around the town. They are still setting up the pavilion, so there's nothing to see there. On the north end of town, a girl quizzes me on Snivy, and, after acing it and revealing that I own one, hands me a grass gem. Talk about nice! A man in the gate handed me Poké Balls. I guess it does pay off to interact with people.

Wait, look at the time! It's already 10:20. I'll have to get there soon if I want good seats.

I suppose it's too late for good seats. This area is already packed. Wait, there's Cheren and Bianca! They're waving me over!

"What took you so long? I heard you've been up since early in the morning, but it took you forever to get here."

I sheepishly respond that I had expected to be early. He sighs and explains that if you want good seats, you have to be there at least an hour before it starts.I

We sit in silence after that, all waiting for the presentation to begin.

"My name is Ghetsis. I am here representing Team Plasma. Today, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to talk to you about Pokémon liberation.

I'm sure most of you believe that we humans and Pokémon are partners that have come to live together because we want and need each other. However... Is that really the truth? Have you ever considered that perhaps we humans... only assume that this is the truth?

Pokémon are subject to the selfish commands of Trainers... They get pushed around when they are our "partners" at work... Can anyone say with confidence that there is no truth in what I'm saying?

Now, ladies and gentlemen, Pokémon are different from humans. They are living beings that contain unknown potential. They are living beings from whom we humans have much to learn. Tell me, what is our responsibility toward these wonderful beings called Pokémon?

That's right! We must liberate the Pokémon!"

As I hear him speak, I can't help but realize that he's good at this. He's charismatic, which helps, but a lot of it is what he's saying. It seems to strike a chord with everyone here. We're all caught up in his speech, myself included. I'm so caught up, in fact, that I don't realize until half way through that what he's saying is bullshit.

When I do, I rise up. He seems shocked that I have something to say, but he does allow me to speak. When he hears what I am saying, though, he seems almost astonished.

"That isn't true! Pokémon do need humans! Scientists have studied it- Pokémon raised by humans live for up to twice as long as wild ones. Absol, for instance, have been known to live for 100 years in the wild. Just last month, though, there are records of the death of a 193 year old raised by trainers. Besides, trained Pokémon get into less deadly fights and get better medical treatment. Access to a dependable food source is the kicker, though- 60% of wild Pokémon deaths are due to lack of food. While there are only 3 known cases in Unova in the last year among trainer Pokémon. While Pokémon may not have the best life with humans, wild life isn't all sunshine and roses." Even as I say it though, I know it is useless.

"Still, how could we allow such things to happen to our Pokémon? How could we force them to do what we are unwilling? Despite any advantages Pokémon may gain, ours is far greater. We pay Pokémon such as Gurdurr pittances in food compared to what we pay human workers. We must liberate them from our tyranny. Then, and only then, will humans and Pokémon truly be equals. Everyone, I end my words here today by imploring you to consider the relationship between people and Pokémon... and the correct way to proceed. We sincerely appreciate your attention."

And wow, I just got played. Humans only remember introductions, peaks, and endings. He introduced himself, took control at the peak, and ended it off before I could reply. I'll be lucky if people remember a word I said. If it weren't me on the other side of the argument, I'd almost find it funny. Whoever Ghetsis is, he's good at what he does.

Suddenly, a young man? Boy? pushes his way out of the crowd.

"Hello. My name is N. Were you the one speaking earlier?"

After my affirmative response, he states that he cannot imagine confining his friends. I look down at his feet, only now seeing the Purrloin sitting there. Has it been there the whole time? How did it not get stepped on?

N: "Do you have Pokémon? May I see them?"

After I release Kusanagi, N turns to address it.

N: "Hello. What do you think of your trainer? Is he nice?"

"Snivy. Sni Sni Snivy vee."

"Oh. I did not expect that answer."

I look at him like he's crazy. What did he expect? It to start talking back? I must have said that last bit out loud, because he starts to respond.

"Your Pokémon... Just now, it was saying..."

And, never mind. Either he's crazy, a dedicated Snivy fan, faking for attention… or the most amazing thing in recent history. He doesn't seem to be faking it, but that's only mild evidence. The preponderance of evidence is still against it, even-

"Yes, they're talking. Oh. Then, you two can't hear it either... How sad. My name is N."

Whaaa? Who the heck names their kid N? Is it a nickname? Or maybe he is coming out of some kind of governmental project. I'd always dismissed them as conspiracy theorists, but it fits the data. Still, that's not enough evidence to make a conclusion. Still, I need to say something. "Hello. My name is Black." And, that was way too awkward. Luckily, he speaks before I can embarrass myself further.

"You're working on the Pokédex, eh? So... You're going to confine many, many Pokémon in Poké Balls for that, then. I'm a Trainer, too, but I can't help wondering... Are Pokémon really happy that way? Well, Black, is it? Let me hear your Pokémon's voice again!"

"All right, then", I say. "Kusanagi, trip it up with vine whip!"

"Don't move! Let it hit you, and stand strong. Now, growl!"

A bit of a smirk flits to my face at that. I guess he doesn't know everything, despite his incredible ability. "Scratch attack, now!"

"Growl, once more, and then scratch as well. You should be able to defeat it!"

To his evident surprise, my Kusanagi overcomes it. In the next clash, Kusanagi again proves victorious. Another boosted vine whip proves too much, and the Purrloin collapses, fainted.

"How did you win? My Pokémon's growls should have lowered your attack, even if it is a powerful Snivy. What caused this?"

I explain exactly what the contrary nature is. He seems even more surprised at my knowledge, but it doesn't seem to bother him particularly.

"Even though I can understand their voices, it appears I still have much to learn about Pokémon. I never expected to hear Pokémon say such things... but as long as Pokémon are confined in Poké Balls, Pokémon will never become perfect beings. I have to change the world for Pokémon, because they're my friends. Farewell, Black. I hope to see you again."

With that, he walks up. This seems to be a signal, because Bianca and Cheren walk over and query me.

"What was that about?", Bianca queries.

Predictably, Cheren is more interested in learning his name.

As a response, I can only say that he called himself N, and that I understand as little as they.

* * *

 **A/N- I hope it is obvious who is speaking. Let me know if, at any point, it is not.**


	3. On the road

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon**

The truth will set you free or die trying. Either you or the truth- Stefan Gagne

* * *

As we pass through Accumula gate, I'm surprised by an X-transceiver call. Bianca and Cheren are right next to me, so who could this caller be? When I open it, I'm surprised that it's my mom, although I really shouldn't be. She's the only other person who has my number.

"Black! It's your mom! How are things? Are you and your Pokémon getting along and enjoying your journey so far? Look how far you've come already! Professor Juniper said that you were probably headed for Striaton city by now. When you arrive at the Pokécenter, there should be a delivery for you. They are known as running shoes. When you're wearing the Running Shoes, you can go anywhere in a flash! I bought these a long time ago and stashed them away somewhere. I found them when I was cleaning up. Guess it's good to clean occasionally. You understand that you're never really alone, right? You're with Pokémon, you have friends, and you're always in my thoughts. That's all right, then. Enjoy your trip! I needed to talk to you, so I called, but I'm going to hang up the X-Transceiver now."

Huh. That was odd. Bianca and Cheren both want to do some training, so we agree to meet up in Straiton city. It seems like I have a day to myself. Alright, it's time to train Kusanagi.

* * *

Enough is enough. The physical conditioning seems to be working out well, but it will take weeks to come into effect. Some trainers say that it can be measures in discrete EVs, or environmental values. There is no conclusive evidence either way, though. Still, there is a limit to how strong a Pokémon can be just from exercise- level is also very important. You can't precisely measure level, but there are machines that can sense approximately how strong a Pokémon is. Being at a higher level helps the Pokémon learn moves faster and is sometimes necessary to evolve. Strangely, defeating other Pokémon makes Pokémon stronger.

However, what is more important than power is moves. I attempt to teach Kusanagi leaf tornado. Leaf Tornado is a powerful grass type move that is also the precursor to its most powerful move, Leaf Storm. Sadly, we only manage razor leaf. We also had some success with magical leaf, but it is currently just as likely to fail as succeed. It also doesn't always track opponents. While disappointing, it is only to be expected. The level at which it is recommended to teach leaf tornado is 16, and Kusanagi is estimated by my Pokédex to be level 8. Still, it's important to record both my training regime and my teaching attempts. If nothing else, the professor will want them. Mega drain failed for similar reasons, although we did learn absorb. I guess there is nothing else to it- we'll have to train some more.

While defeating Lillipup, Patrat, Purrloin,and Audino is satisfying, only the last gives good xp. For some reason, some Pokémon help leveling more than others. No one knows quite why, but it is there. I've been training for four hours and Kusanagi is only level 10. I can't wait to get to Straiton- running shoes will allow me to battle Pokémon far more quickly. It appears I have no choice but to battle the other trainers on the route.

My choice seems to be a good one, because defeating them is both easy and rewarding. Their Pokémon are all merely stronger variations of the ones on the route. These are Pokémon we have already prepared strategies to defeat. They, on the other hand, have never fought a Snivy. They are quite surprised when their growls are counterproductive.

After that, Kusanagi and I are exhausted, so we take a bit of a breather and eat a late lunch. It's already 1:00. By the time we finish with our meal and, in her case sunbathing, it is 2:30. I guess it's time to get moving if we want to be in Striaton City for dinner.

* * *

It appears that we were closer to Striaton than I thought, because it is only 3:30 when I reach the gate. Bianca was waiting there- apparently she's been training, because she wants a rematch.

"Hey, listen! Let's have a Pokémon battle! Pleeeease? The Pokémon I caught have become a little stronger! B-both my Pokémon and I are going to give it our all! Ready or not, here I come!"

With that, she tosses out Shell's Poké Ball. In response, I release Kusanagi.

In an unexpected move, Bianca has Shell use water gun. As Kusanagi blinks in an attempt to see, I order a magical leaf. Luckily, it succeeds, but it isn't enough to stop Shell, which got in close and is using… razor shell! That isn't supposed to be learned until level 17! I guess she really is good at this.

That looks like it really hurt. Kusanagi was sent flying, and the landing didn't look too good either. However, we aren't beaten yet. Firing off a razor leaf, Kusanagi is ordered to stand still and attempt to gather energy. Then, we unleash our secret weapon- a half finished leaf tornado. Ordinarily this wouldn't be an issue, as it isn't significantly more damaging than the previous attacks. However, since the attack is incomplete, each hit sets off shell armor. This drains Shell's energy in an attempt to block critical hits. By the time the attack is finished, Shell is exhausted.

"Come on back. OK! This little one is up next! Go, Lily!"

Lily the Lillipup. How original. Still, I'm not going to risk her ire by saying that.

"Lily, start it with an Odor Sleuth!"

"Kusanagi, razor leaf!"

The leaves don't do as much damage as I am expecting. It must be the thick fur.

"Lily, now! Tackle!"

"Vine Whip! Stop it in its tracks!"

"No, Lily! Tackle once more!"

"Finish it off, Kusanagi! Scratch attack!"

"Aww... I couldn't win..."

Unsurprisingly, Kusanagi proves the victor in the engagement. She probably hasn't had Lily for very long. Still, that was way closer than I'd like. I'll have to do a lot more training if I want to defeat a gym leader.

"Woo-hoo! You're a tough cookie, Black. I'm gonna work hard on training my Pokémon so we won't lose anymore! OK, bye-bye!"

* * *

What am I doing here in the Striaton trainer school? I already know all of this. For that matter, so does Cheren. Why is he here still if its this boring? I guess the extra two years of schooling are useful. I can't even see the gym leader through the crowd, so it must be popular. As I get up to leave, I am stopped by one of the students, who is apparently the top of his class. After successfully answering his quiz he hands over a Persim berry. He says that he was planning on giving it to people who badly failed, but it looks like I won't need it. It takes me a while to parse that statement, but when I do I just shake my head. It's just a very backhanded compliment.

As I'm about to leave, Cheren talks to me. After confirming that I'm looking for the gym leader, he tells me the leaders were just here. They were talking about Pokémon types. He also wants to test what he learned. They were covering some interesting things before I arrived.

"Well, let's see how effective my items are… Or maybe I should test how well I can battle without items…? Anyway, this is an indoor match, so let's battle without getting too rough!"

"Flare! Ember!"

"Kusanagi! Block it with a vine whip!" Cheren looks momentarily confused before he gets it. "Oh, I understand. The vines are alive, so are full of water. A simple ember isn't enough to set it alight. Very well. Fire Spin."

I feel embarrassed. Of course Cheren would get it- he's not some random trainer, he's quite possibly smarter than I am. However, I think I know something he hasn't thought of.

"Use the vines to pinch its nose! Tepigs resist fire, so it shouldn't escape, but it will still do some damage! With your other vine, keep wrapping it up!"

"Flare! Try to break free!"

"Constrict!"

The battle continues like that for a while. Kusanagi squeezes tighter and tighter, while Flare tries in vain to escape. However, just as it seems like the battle is over, Flare manages to swallow his Oran Berry. Now healed, Flare is able to struggle free.

As I prepare of a repeat of earlier, Cheren has Flare use flame charge. He admits that, much to his chagrin, Flare was unable to learn heat crash just yet. However, it has succeeded in generating the flame, and it is more than enough to burn through the vines. Kusanagi can only dodge helplessly, with each attack coming closer than the last. I think desperately to come up with a solution.

All of a sudden, it hits me. "Kusanagi, leaf tornado (beta)! Send the leaves straight at him! Then, when Flare gets close, use scratch!

"Power right through and hit the Snivy!"

As Cheren predicts, the flame burns the leaves, causing the attack to be largely useless. However, it serves its purpose. The burning leaves obscure Flare's vision. This allows Kusanagi to get some good hits on for pretty much free. In addition, the leaves are on the outside, which prevents oxygen from reaching the oil. While they are also burning, they aren't as hot and produce a lot of smoke. This hampers Flare's eyesight even more. As Flare stumbles out, defeated, Cheren looks shocked. It takes him a while to get it, but when he does he's very impressed. "Moves that never miss and moves that can attack first… moves that are only useful in a single situation… There sure are a lot of different moves. It's also important to decide what item your Pokémon holds. Go, Felis!"

While he has certainly trained Felis more than Bianca had her Lily, it isn't a match for Kusanagi. It goes down surprisingly quickly.

"I see! Losing to you means that I still have a lot to learn. So learning to use items well is definitely important, then. Oh, here. Black I'll give you these Oran berries. If you give a Pokémon this kind of Berry to hold, it will eat it to heal up when its HP goes down in battle. But if you give it man-made items like potions to hold, they can't use them. Well, good luck then."

With that, I head over to my first gym battle. Hopefully it won't be nearly this tough.

* * *

 **A/N: Next Chapter is the gym battle. Do let me know if there are any problems with the fights. I've never done them before.**


	4. Gym Challenge

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon**

There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact- Arthur Conan Doyle

* * *

As I enter the gym, I double take. This is a restaurant! Only the official Gym sign on the roof keeps me from leaving outright. What is going on here? Why are there waiters?

After a couple of questions at the front desk, I find that the reason the gym looks like a restaurant is that it is one. Apparently the Gym leaders run it in their spare time. Its why there are three of them- one can battle while the others keep up with the demand. It seems very fancy. I wonder how they have time for training, seeing as they have two fulltime jobs.

The setup of the gym seems to be a simple puzzle. You have to walk on the tile that is super effective against the type on the screen. It is obvious if you know anyone about Pokémon. This is fitting, seeing as they are the first gym in the standard circuit, and thus the weakest. You can go out of order, but it's generally not a good idea.

After successfully completing the 3 "puzzles"- Fire, water, and grass- I enter the back room, where a battle is in progress. Cress has just defeated a challenger's Lillipup, bringing them down to their last Pokémon. Their Pidove doesn't last much longer, which gives the match to Cress' monkey, a Panpour.

There's a line here- 3 more people, then I can battle.

* * *

None of the other battlers do as well as the first. 2 of them are completely walled by Cilan, and the third only wins because of his Pidove, which is clearly exhausted. It is easy prey for Cress' Lillipup.

Now it's my turn.

I'll have to listen to their introductory speech- again. Apparently it is tradition, but I've already heard it 3 times today.

 **Chorusing:** "Welcome to the Striaton City Pokémon Gym."

 **Chili:** "I'm Chili! I light things up with Fire-type Pokémon!"

 **Cress:** "I'm a Water-type specialist, and my name is Cress. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

 **Cilan:** "And my name is Cilan. I like Grass-type Pokémon."

 **Cilan:** "Following the rotation, first you will be up against me, then Cress, then Chili. If you defeat two of us, you get the badge, but please try for a complete victory. It's nothing personal... no hard feelings... Me and my Grass-type Pokémon will...um... We're gonna battle come what may. So, um, if you're OK with me, I'll, um, put everything I've got into being, er, you know, your opponent."

With that, the battle begins.

The first thing I notice about the Lillipup is that it is fast. Very fast- nearly as fast as my Kusanagi. This is definitely a cut above the other Lillipups I've faced. Still, I should be able to win.

My suspicions about its quality turn out to be justified when Cilan starts things off with a bite. None of the other Lillipups we faced knew that move. Kusanagi dodges, but it was still a close thing. The Lillipup is now way too close to dodge Kusanagi's counterattack, a scratch to the face. As it retreats up, it is frantically blinking. Apparently Kusanagi's scratch drew blood, so it is having a bit of trouble seeing. It doesn't look to deep, though. Attempting to keep pressing my advantage, I order Kusanagi to use razor leaf. While the fur blocks some of the damage, it is obvious that it hurts. Seemingly desperate, Cilan orders his Lillipup to use Fire fang. It is super effective, and if it hits it might burn. If Kusanagi gets burned, it's all over.

However, I know just the solution. One vine whip later, we have a captured Lillipup and a sad opponent. With a sigh, Cilan withdraws his Pokémon and sends out his Pansage. Pansage is a whole different kettle of fish. One of the elemental monkeys that Striaton is so famed for, Pansage is Cilan's strongest Pokémon. From the earlier battles I know that this will not be an easy match.

The battle begins at close range. Pansage uses fury swipes, and my Kusanagi counters with scratch. However, Kusanagi's attacks come from its claws, which are far sharper. It becomes quickly apparent that Pansage is at the disadvantage.

Cilan, not being a fool, orders Pansage to step back. Then, he retaliates with a bullet seed. Knowing Kusanagi has no defenses against that king of attack, I instead have it attack with its vines. If we can put it off balance, it won't matter how many seeds it shoots, they'll all miss.

Cilan's obviously encountered that strategy before. He orders his Pansage to grapple Kusanagi with its own vines. With both Pokémon immobile, Pansage can use bullet seed to its heart's content. However, I saw this coming. Kusanagi scratches the vines, causing Pansage to withdraw them in pain. Once the vines are gone, Kusanagi spins the monkey around, wasting its seeds. However, Cilan isn't out of tricks yet. Pansage used work up, powering up the monkey significantly. With this boost, it can easily cut Kusanagi's vines, inverting my trick back on me.

With a scream, Kusanagi withdraws the vines, allowing Pansage to get free. Pansage immediately charges, powering up a lick. This could be bad; lick, unlike most ghost moves, can paralyze. What's more, this lick has been powered by a work up. It will hurt even if it doesn't successfully paralyze.

Luckily, I have a plan. When using lick, the opposing Pokémon open's their mouth. That mouth is extremely sensitive to pain, especially the tongue. However, it is a very small target. Kusanagi probably won't hit it. This leaves me only one choice, and it's risky.

"Magical leaf", I yell. Kusanagi complies, and I get lucky. Magical leaf works, and it hits right where it needs to. Pansage collapses, in pain but not seriously injured, and I am the winner.

* * *

Next up is Cress. He specializes in water, apparently because of a natural love for them and some joke in the past. Their names almost make sense- Cilan is short for cilantro, a plant, Cress short for watercress, and Chili is a hot food. Still, I wonder why they decided to play that up.

"That is correct! It shall be I and my esteemed Water types that you must face in battle!"

Cress, like his Brother, leads with a Lillipup. It is slower than Cilan's, but seems more defensive. It will probably take a few more hits to take down.

Kusanagi circles around launching some razor leafs that make Lillipup yip loudly. Cress has Lillipup use growl, playing for the long game. The battle continues like that for a while, with Lillipup getting steadily weaker. However, apparently Kusanagi stepped too close, because next thing I know Lillipup has Kusanagi clamped with an Ice fang. I'm lucky it didn't freeze Kusanagi.

However, it is too late in the battle, and Lillipup is exhausted. It only takes two scratches to faint the Lillipup.

Cress then sends out his Panpour, seemingly confident in his victory. I momentarily wonder why, seeing as I have the type advantage, but then I remember the growls. That's right- he doesn't know Snivy is contrary, and so thinks he has the battle in the bag. I smirk- he's in for a rude awakening.

True to form, he has Panpour start up with a work up. He "knows" I can't hurt him, and he wants to finish this quickly. With a far too large grin, I order a Leaf tornado- it should be high enough level now. To my happiness, it works- it isn't as good as it could be, but the leaves do spin and the attack is successful. After being subjected to these spinning leaves for a couple of seconds, Panpour faints. Looks like it's on to Chili.

* * *

Cress looks shocked, but he doesn't seem too upset. Without a word, he passes the stage to Chili. OK, maybe he is mad. Then again, I just took out his strongest Pokémon in a single hit.

Meanwhile, Inside Chili's head:

Wow! He just took out Panpour in a single attack! That Pokémon is powerful. I should be fine with my type advantage, but still… I wonder what was up with that.

Despite rumors to the contrary, Chili was smart, although it wasn't really in the same way as his brothers. However, it would take an idiot not to realize something was up, and Chili wasn't that big of a fool. It was almost as though… no, that was ridiculous. But could it possibly be true anyway? Deep in thought, Chili almost wasn't paying any attention as he threw out his Lillipup.

As Chili tossed out his Lillipups Pokéball, I allow a frown to appear on my face. Just what is he thinking about?

As Lillipup came out, Chili decided to test his theory. As his opponent called for a razor leaf, He calmly ordered a sand attack. Just as he suspected, the Snivy hit through the attack with pinpoint accuracy. It would appear he was right, as ridiculous as it may seem. Any stat changes that hit the opponent were reversed. It was too early to tell if the same applied with positive effects, but it didn't seem to Farfetch'd. Chili knew one thing for certain, however; this thing would be a monster to fight once it learned leaf storm. Would paralysis slow it down? Chili resolved not to find out. He'd have to be careful about burning it for the same reason.

Something was up. After his initial, counterproductive sand attack (and believe me, I have no idea how being hit in the face with sand made you aim better), Chili had abandoned offensive status moves. He instead used the lulls in the battle to use Work up. He had even gone so far as to avoid using them altogether, even when they could have greatly improved his chances of victory. Could he possibly… I ruthlessly quashed down that tiny bit of self-doubt. The possibility of someone finding it out that quickly is ludicrous, too low to bear thinking about. Maybe he just disliked using that kind of attack?

Something was up, Cilan knew. Just what was Chili planning? He hadn't used a single growl or leer this whole battle. Was there something he was unaware of? Did it have anything to do with Cress' Panpour being defeated in a single attack? And how did the Lillipup use Work up? Muttering to himself quietly, Cilan returned to watching the battle unfold.

Chili could tell that it was too little, too late. The Snivy was too powered up, and it was making mincemeat out of his Pokémon. He also knew he was going to have some questioning later. In particular, why he had neglected to inform them of Lillipup's ability to learn work up. He grimaced; that was going to be fun. Still, that Snivy shouldn't be able to stand a chance against his Pansear.

I rubbed my hands together happily. This was perfect. My first gym battle, a stunning success.

Soon, I will have beaten all three of them, and on my first try, too!

I call for a leaf storm, and Kusanagi complies. It finally proved too much for the 'pup, causing it to collapse. With a grin, Chili tossed out his Pansear and ordered a work up.

Smiling, I call for a Leaf tornado. Sure, it might not be very affective, but it should drop the accuracy.

Unsurprisingly, Chili calls for an incinerate attack. What is surprising is how powerful it is. It burns through all the leaves and hits Snivy. Ouch, that looks like it hurt. It is so powerful, in fact, that my next attacks meet the same end. I surrender, saddened.

* * *

Apparently they have to make a ceremony about giving out the badge, too. At least I haven't heard this one before. Also, it seems to be partially improv.

 **Cilan:** "Here is the trio badge! Gym Badges are a proof of a Trainer's abilities. If you have one Badge, Pokémon, including traded Pokémon up to about Level 20, will obey you without question. We also want you to have this. TM83 contains Work Up. If you use Work Up, the Pokémon's Attack and Special Attack go up! By the way, TMs can be used as many times as you want."

 **Chili:** "If you wanted, you could use one to teach all your Pokémon the same move!"

 **Cress:** "Here, we specialize in Pokémon typing. If there were 18 siblings in the Striaton City Gym... There could be a specialist for each type of Pokémon."

 **Cilan:** "In the Unova region, we are still novice Gym Leaders. Which means the other Gym Leaders are much stronger than we are. We'll need to work hard and improve."

 **Cress:** By the way, What is up with that Snivy of yours?

 **Chili:** If I may- it seems as though stat changes were reversed

I nod. "Kusanagi has the ability contrary. This means that any stat changes are reversed, even if they are self-inflicted. It is a hidden ability."

 **Chili:** "Then if leaf storm…"

My response is simple. "Yes", I say. "If he were to use leaf storm, his special attack would go up rather than down"

This time, it's Cilan who has a question. "Would, say, paralysis still slow it down?"

I nod, happy that they get it. "Paralysis slows down a Pokémon because it locks up their muscles, not because it lowers its stats. Attract, will o' wisp, and curse all work the same as normal."

 **Cress:** "You've given me much to think about. Very well: we wish you the best of luck."

As I walk out, I can hear them talking. However, I can't tell who is speaking.

"Now, what was up with about not telling us Lillipup could learn work up?"

The rest of the conversation is cut off by the closing doors. I wonder what it was about.

* * *

 **A/N: I'm back! Sorry about the wait. As a reward, this chapter is the longest yet. I'm experimenting with the multiple points of view thing.**


	5. Dreams of the truth

Three things cannot be long hidden- the sun, the moon, and the truth- Buddha

* * *

After my magnificent gym battle, if I do say so myself, I spend a bit of time looking around the city. Well, at least that was the plan. In reality, I spent way too long looking at Basculin. What is with them, anyway? Standard Mendelevian inheritance, like hair or eyes for us? It isn't species, as they are able to interbreed. I do learn some things, though. Fennel is currently not home, and is in some place called the dreamyard, so I cannot complete that task. Still, it's almost lunchtime, and I promised to meet back up with Bianca and Cheren then.

* * *

When I arrive at the restaurant, I am surprised to find that Bianca and Cheren are already there. Cheren won his gym battle, Bianca didn't. Still, Cheren claims it was close, and it takes a lot to impress him. She doesn't seem too beaten down, either; I suspect that she will be having a rematch before we leave the city.

When I explain about Fennel, they are not surprised in the slightest. If my life was a comic book, it would be a running gag- nothing ever goes right for me when I have a job to do. They're used too it now, though. Instead of teasing me, Bianca and Cheren just commiserate. They are even nice about it, and volunteer to go with me to the dream yard. Things like this are why I like having them as friends.

Luckily for us, the dreamyard is right outside the city, so we don't have to take a long, annoying side trip. We met a young girl there, who seems excited about our pokédexes. It appears as though she is as avid a reader of scientific journals as I am. No, she's even more interested- she knows about professor junipers study. She even has 3 elemental monkeys complete with hidden abilities. I whistle impressed as she shows them… Wait she's giving them to us? To help with science? Wow, that's dedication I can respect. I probably wouldn't have done that. Actually, scratch that. I definitely wouldn't have done that. I pick the Panpour, Bianca takes Pansear, and Cheren picks Pansage. That was really, absurdly nice. I feel vaguely guilty even, for taking advantage of it.

As we head in deeper, we meet a far worse sight. A pair of people, dressed it the team plasma uniform, are kicking a Munna. They are yelling something about a dream mist. It's weird. Still, as much as I would ike to ignore these morons, it's an abuse of sentient beings. Other than Pokémon's increased durability, this is exactly as bad as beating up a human being. Better yet, the law is on my side. As I am about to step over, however, I notice Bianca has already disappeared. And I insult her sense of timing. Ah well, I should probably back her up. Who knew what Pokémon these people had?

I step forward, intent on giving her a hand. Cheren has missed this- he walked off around the corner after he thought he saw a Hypno. Honestly, that guy. Luckily, these guys seem more interested in trading insults than actually fighting her. "a shrimp like you going to do to stop us?"

"A whole lot, apparently" is Bianca's reply. It's a struggle not to burst out laughing. She's right about that- while these special snowflakes were insulting her, they were standing still. The Munna left about 30 seconds ago.

When they finally realize what she means, though, they are furious. "What the hell did you brats do? Where did it go?" Finally, it proves too much, and a laugh escapes me. "Didn't you notice? While you two were too busy losing the argument, it ran off."

"I'll kick your ass for that. Teach you not to mess with an adult." As he says this, he reaches for a pokéball on his belt. I am forced to remind myself that despite appearances, these are likely hardened criminals. Who knew what Pokémon these people had? I frantically search for some plan, some genius strategy to defeat these people with. Kusanagi's pokéball is already clutched in my hand. I'm so focused that I nearly miss the girl, who has thus far remained silent, removing a pokéball of her own. They must have fought together before, because their movements are in synch. "Pokémon, Go!"

And, I needn't have worried. All they have to fight with is a Patrat and a Purrlion. Sure, they look a bit tougher than normal, but they're pretty much doomed. I send out Kusanagi, hearing Bianca do the same with Shell.

"Razor shell!"

"Leaf tornado!"

"Bite!"

"Growl!"

Heh, that last one is in for a surprise- wait, did the Watchdog just bite the razor shell? What the heck? Well, that's got to be painful. I almost feel bad for them. Now, if only they hadn't been beating up that Munna. Yeah, they're kind of screwed.

It looks like Shell has gotten a lot stronger since the last battle. She just picked up and threw the Patrat. Then Bianca called for a water gun, and Shell managed to hit it, midair. That's actually quite impressive. I can see why Cheren complemented her. Still, I should probably pay attention to my own battle.

And, not much has changed. The Purrloin lets out another two growls, making my Kusanagi stronger than ever. We, on the other hand, are continuing our attack- wait, did leaf tornado just pick the Purrloin up? What the heck? Well, that's game. It will just hover there, completely helpless. Kusanagi will be able to easily KO it with his razor sharp leaves. I guess we did manage to complete the attack. Way to go us!

After their embarrassing defeat, they attempt to run away. Sadly for them, I stop them. I'm not about to let them get away with this. I open up the X-transceiver and call 911, requesting a police pickup. They are skeptical, but they still send someone over. Luckily, they don't want much from us. As soon as they see our Pokédexes, we are completely believed. As much as I detest the Halo Effect, I realize that it's working for me this time, so I don't complain. I might as well enjoy it while it lasts. The police are more than willing to take them off my hands.

* * *

When I turn around, I find that Bianca has already managed to find the Munna, calm it down, and feed it a potion. And… now she's captured it? Wow. I've always teased her approach to Pokémon, but she managed to convince it to join her. I guess there is something to her ideas, after all. Munna is an extremely rare psychic type- This is the only place on the east coast where it can be found, and it is rare even here. How did she manage to communicate with it, anyway? I mean, Pokémon can understand people, and we can sort of guess what they are saying, but I swear she just responded to something it said.

Acting on an impulse, I open up my Pokédex. I scan it to find the normal things. Munna, Psychic, Female, 3' 7'', 113.4 lb, ability telepathy,- wait, Telepathy? Another Hidden Ability? What is with this day? 4 Pokémon with hidden abilities! Is it luck… or is it something about this place. It's definitely correlation, although that doesn't necessarily mean causation. Huh, something to think about another time.

As I finish my musings, Cheren returns. The Hypno managed to escape him- he thought he had it trapped, but then it teleported. I didn't know they could do that, but I'm not about to doubt him. He seems surprised about Team Plasma, but he hides it well.

Cheren's failure seems to be indicative of our entire day, because even though we scour the entire dreamyard, we find no trace of Fennel. I do find something called a dream mist, though, so it wasn't a complete waste. Happily, our luck begins to turn when we arrive back in town. Fennel is right outside the gym. Apparently she was waiting for us, because when she sees us she comes right over. I have to admit that despite her famous face, I almost miss her. I blame the unfamiliar background. There is some mutual embarrassment when we talk about heading to the dreamyard- she left early to try and meet us, and we looked all over there for her. She must have left while we were dealing with the grunts. When we ask what the professor wanted us to meet her for, she says that we should talk about it at her house. Apparently I was right. There is a secret.

After she brings us up to her room, she abruptly remembers her manners. "So like I said, I'm Fennel, and as you can see, I'm a scientist. In fact, the subject I'm researching is dreams! Professor Juniper is my friend from college. She asked me to help you guys. So! I'll give you something to help you. This Hidden machine is for you! I got three copies, one for each of you. These are all HM01, cut."

At this I fall silent. Hidden Machines, or HM's, are devices for teaching Pokémon moves. Unlike TM's, however, they are major improvements to a Pokémon. For instance, the Fly HM allows even a Pidove to carry a human. This particular HM allows the cutting down of trees. It is so powerful that Pokémon using it must actively restrain from damaging their opponents. What's more, these are almost as expensive as Pokédexes.

"I'd like to ask you a favor, too! There is an item in the Dreamyard on the outskirts of Striaton City. I'd like some of the Dream Mist that a Pokémon there called Munna gives off. With that, I'll be able to, in layman's terms, open up a portal to the dream world." I'm always happy to be useful, so I remove it from my bag. Besides, I don't want to go back there. It was really boring, so I'd just as soon skip it.

Before Fennel can respond, another person walks into the room. "Ooh, Fennel, are these trainers? No wait, I should be asking you! Are you a trainer? Do you use the PC box system? I'm Amanita, and I maintain it! Do you know about the battle box? No, of course you do."

Well, she certainly has a lot of energy. Just listening to her exhausts me, and I'm 12! What the heck. Still, I suppose I can try it. "Uh, Yes, No, Yes? I'm sorry, I think I missed something."

"Oh, I'm sorry did I do it again? Don't worry; I think I understand what you said. But, do you have any questions for me?"

Now, though, it is Fennel's turn to respond. "I was actually just thanking them for getting the dream mist. However, that isn't a terrible idea. Do you want to ask us anything?"

It's here where I hit a blank. There is so much I want to ask, but my brain is freezing up. Cheren seems to be suffering the same problem. So, it isn't surprising that it is Bianca who breaks the silence. "Uh, why did you call the PC box system Someone's PC?"

"Dang it, I thought I changed that." So saying this, she pulls out a phone and makes a few changes. "It wasn't important, though."

So saying, we leave the house and head back to the Pokécenter. Now all we have to do is wait for Bianca to beat the gym, and then we are finally out of Striaton.

* * *

 **A/N: In case you were wondering, Hypno can learn teleport via TM in RBY. I have rewritten all the previous chapters, but it probably isn't worth rereading for.**


	6. A swiftly striking snake

Bianca's gym battle went about as well as it could. Knowing what I do about their strategy, it's clear that she is in control. The battle is turning out almost ideally for her. Her Pansear easily defeated Cilan, and had a pretty good run on Cress. Once Panpour appeared, though, it was pretty much over for her little monkey. Now, she is calling in Lily, her weakest Pokémon, against Cress' strongest. Does she know something I don't?

It would appear that she does. Both Bianca and Lily are bursting with confidence. She calls for a sand attack, a growl, and then- thunder fang? How the heck did she get that lucky? Lillipup can't learn that until it is a Stoutland! Sure, some of those Stoutlands pass it on to their children, but those Lillipup are rare. What are the chances of one of those being the same one she caught?

Cress knows as well as I that this isn't good for him. He has Panpour launch a Mud Sport, then prepare a water gun. It's obvious what he's trying to do- water in actually a pretty good insulator, as long as it is pure. If he times it right, the Thunder Fang will become a subpar bite. At first, it appears to be working. Bianca's attacks are muted by the water and the mud, until you can' even see the electricity at all. If it continues like this, then Bianca's Pokémon will even come out the worst from this exchange… Oh. Wow. It isn't even a thunder fang at all! It's just a bite attack.

I've never even heard of a strategy like that before. I mean, people have used code names to keep the opponent from knowing what they're doing, but I've never seen it used for that before. I wonder how long it will take for Cress to figure it out.

It would appear that the answer is a long, long time. It's been 3 minutes, and he still hasn't caught on. Still, he's definitely noticing the damage Panpour is taking. After another 30 seconds he withdraws Panpour, surrendering. Lily doesn't look much better, though. Despite Bianca's strategy, Lily is still far weaker than Cress' Panpour. Despite that setback, Bianca has this fight in the bag. Shell is Bianca's strongest Pokémon, and she will be super affective on Pansear.

After her surprising victory over Panpour, Bianca's battle ends quickly. Shell requires only two hits to knock out the Lillipup, and Pansear is, if anything, faster. I don't think shell even took any damage. I suppose that there is something to be said for extra training.

It's a good thing that that is done, though. I'm more than a little anxious to get going, seeing as this is our third day in Striaton. I have this sort of goal to complete the circuit in 80 days. It's sort of a record, as it's only been done a few times before. What's worse, all of those were in Japan. My pride as an American won't allow me to let that stand. Also, Cheren challenged me to race, but that has nothing to do with this at all.

Luckily there isn't much foot traffic, so we're able to get out almost immediately. I'm behind schedule for my training. Still, I have to take a moment to enjoy the natural beauty. The trees and grass are almost picturesque, and the sun is shining brightly. I've never been a huge fan of the outdoors, but I'm going to see a lot of it while I'm travelling. Most likely, most of those memories will not be fun. Unova is civilized, but no one has ever been able to completely tame Pokémon. If nothing else, there are the legendaries. To counteract this I should get in as many good memories as possible as soon as possible so I don't give up on training.

That's the idea, anyway. What actually ends up happening is me looking around for a few minutes before seeing a Yanma and running off. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Cheren running after a Blitzle. Great minds think alike, I guess.

In an incredible stroke of luck, that Yanma is one of them with the speed boost ability. This is exactly what I wanted! Unfortunately, it has the speed boost ability. After a short battle, It's able to flee at a frankly ridiculous speed. I so should have seen that coming. I suppose I ought to train. The next gym likely won't be this easy. This is going to take a while.

As I train, I see a gaggle of preschoolers walk over. I brace myself for the worst, expecting an endless stream of questions. Instead, they ask me for a battle. What the heck? Who gives Pokémon out this young? These kids can't be more than 4. Who are their parents? What were they thinking?

Deciding to humor them, I send out Kusanagi. Thus I'm rather shocked when they send out 5 Pokémon- three elemental monkeys and 2 Purrloin. I guess I won't have to go easy on them. That would be humiliating- beats gym leaders, defeated by 4 year olds. Cheren would never let me live it down. Still, I shouldn't be as aggressive as I usually am. These Pokémon are likely as unused to training as the children. It wouldn't do to hurt them.

As I somewhat suspected, they have no real strategy other than pile the snake. Sure some of them use status moves like growl, but those only help me anyway. In about 30 seconds, Kusanagi is easily winning. Still, he seems to know what is going on, because he plays at being harder pressed then he his. When he finally wins, it appears far closer than it was.

It's just about then that the nursery aid catches up. That makes a lot more sense- They were supposed to be in a safe environment with an adult. Still, she looks harried. I'm willing to bet her job is very stressful.

After that fiasco, it's almost a relief when Cheren challenges me to a battle. He leads with Felix, and I with Kusanagi. He quickly withdraws, but not before I get off a leaf tornado. We really need to learn Leaf Storm. Cheren has learned from last time, so he attacks with Heat Crash. When I try a repeat, he has Flare burn hotter, sending away the leaves away in an updraft. I didn't know you could do that! Still, it stalls him for long enough for me to bring in Panpour. After taking a super affective water gun, however, he switches out to his Pansage.

I know I'm in trouble here. If I stay in, I am weak to him, and if I leave he'll switch as wall. What's more, he has the advantage here. Both of his Pokémon resist Kusanagi's STAB attacks. There's only one thing to do- bluff. This is completely contrary to my style, so he shouldn't expect it. Still, there is a reason people don't bluff. Unless you are gambling, it usually isn't worth it. It takes time and energy to set up good bluffs, and that time can generally be better spent preparing. Still, Bianca showed that it is viable.

I order my Panpour to use work up, then one last water gun. After taking the hit, he preemptively withdraws, hoping to get a hit on Kusanagi. To his surprise, I don't switch out, and promptly order another water gun. It hits, and I don't care what level you are, a +1 STAB super affective attack is never fun. Sadly for me, Flare's levels do make a difference, and he still manages to win out. It's time to play Kusanagi.

"Leaf storm!"

"Heat crash."

The two moves clash and Kusanagi comes off the worse. Still, Flare was already injured, and that counts for a lot. The question isn't whether I can win or not, it's whether I can win and still beat Pansage. Speaking of which, I still need to name Panpour. Perhaps Mizaru? Not now, though. I have to focus on the battle.

The battle continues much in the same vein. Kusanagi spams Leaf Tornado and hides among the leaves, looking to avoid a fight. meanwhile, Flare stumbles around with Heat Crash, hoping to connect. In a stadium my, strategy would be unworkable. Luckily for me, Cheren doesn't exactly have an eagle-eye view of the battle. He can't guide Flare because he doesn't know where Kusanagi is. The same applies to me, though, so it is with bated breath that I watch the battle.

When the leaves clear, I am the winner. However, my fears do not prove misguided. My Snivy is in no shape to continue. Just as I am about to surrender, Snivy begins to glow. Yes, evolution! Well, it's actually metamorphosis, but who the heck cares? It means that Kusanagi will final become a Servine, with all that that implies. I have this battle in the bag! Sure, evolving makes it harder to learn some moves, but it allows access to many more. I'm so pumped. Thank you, training. With this, my next gym badge is almost assured!

Cheren sends out Pansage, but his resigned look shows he's come to a similar conclusion. Still, he's not about to give up.

"Leaf Tornado!"

"Seed bomb"

I watch the spiral of leaves take form around Kusanagi, impressed. We might be even able to pull off leaf storm… no, it's a pipe dream. Anything we try at this stage would still be way to weak. Doesn't mean we shouldn't try, though. With this large an attack, Pansage won't stand a chance… wait, did he just say Seed Bomb? How does his Pansage know Seed Bomb? What the heck?

Even as the leaves begin to batter the monkey, it spews out a single seed. I know it's hopeless, but I pray that the leaves bat it aside, that Servine is able to block it. The explosion hits, and I'm kind of surprised by the sheer power. Still, Kusanagi is a grass type and stronger, so he should be able to take it… there it is.

"Leaf Tornado! Get in close and don't let it try that again!"  
"Seed Bomb, once more"

I can see it attempting to charge another Seed bomb, but the first one almost exhausted it. Cheren must have been banking everything on that attack. Still, it is a good strategy. Another attack like that and Kusanagi is out. We'll just have to stop him from completing the attack.

"Mega Drain, remove that power! Don't let it finish that!" Even as I say it, I know it won't be enough. It is then, however, that an idea hits me. "On second thought, back out of range! Keep up the attack with Razor Leaf!" If I do that, then Pansage will have to sacrifice power for range, and Kusanagi will be able to dodge. Still…

"I… concede."

Did I just hear what I think I heard? Cheren surrendered? "Who are you, and what did you do with my friend?"

"Nothing. I can't win, so I shouldn't keep fighting. That was a well thought out strategy at the end. My Pokémon lacked endurance, so you used that against me. This is how you fight. Huh.

Further conversation is cut off when we hear a scream.

* * *

 **A/N: I'm back! Reviews are love, but I will keep publishing without them. I'm sure anyone who has played the game will know just why there was screaming. If you don't know or you haven't played, well, you''ll have to wait until next chapter to find out. Well, either that or Bulbapedia. The name, by the way, means See no Evil, the monkey which Panpour is based off. Original, I know.**


	7. The fire rises

The sentence 'the sky is blue' is true if and only if the sky is blue- Alfred Tarski

* * *

It's immediately obvious that the scream is one of anguish, not pain. As we turn to look for the source, two plasma members run past. "Out of the way!" one of them hurriedly calls out, hoping to avoid collision. As we step aside, they continue running. "What was that about?" It's obvious he's talking to me, since no one else is there. Still, I can't give him anything he doesn't know. We have more important things to worry about than two passersby. Like, for instance, finding the source of that scream.

Before Cheren and I get far, we see Bianca and a little girl running at full sprint in the opposite direction. When they reach us, they come to a halt. From the tears on the girl's face, it's pretty clear she has been crying, and recently. I think we've found the source. Cheren opens with a question. "Bianca, why were you running?" Instead of an answer, all he gets is a question in return. "Hey! Where were those people headed?"

"That way" is his quiet response. "but why are you running now?"

Her next response also doesn't contain any relevant details. "Oh, seriously! They run so fast!"

Before either of us can get a word in, the girl speaks as well. "Miss… oh… My Pokémon?" She looks about to cry- as though the only reason she hasn't is that she is still trying to process what has happened. I'm glad she's here- even though it seems cheap to give that kind of work to other people, I have never been good at interactions.

Bianca is quick to reassure her "Don't worry, it'll be okay."

"Bianca, really, why were you running?" Cheren is quite plainly getting ticked off. He isn't very good at reading social cues- worse than I am, even. He's much more confidant, but at times like this he's almost helpless. What he's trying won't accomplish anything, though. I'll have to step in.

"Cheren, stop that. Bianca, what happened here? I think we need to know."

"You have to hear this! Those people stole this girl's Pokémon!"

In an instant, all Cheren's earlier annoyance vanishes, now aimed at targets no longer in sight. One of his cousins had the misfortune to encounter Pokémon thieves, and hasn't really been the same since. This is personal to him now. "You should have spoken up sooner! Come on Black, let's go get them! Bianca, can you take care of her?"

Good, he's still keeping his head. I was afraid he'd get so angry he'd stop thinking, but that isn't the case. He still has the presence of mind to realize the girl is probably disconsolate. That doesn't change his hurry, however, so he barely waits for an affirmative response to go rushing off. I have no choice but to follow after. It's not like I wouldn't have followed anyway.

Around the quarter is a long straightaway. There is no sign of them, so they didn't go that way. That leaves only one choice- the cave.

As caves go, Wellspring isn't that bad. Certainly it isn't as difficult as Mamoswine cave out in Kentucky. The problem is that Wellspring, like almost all caves, is a dead end. This means that they aren't in there, they have another way out, they don't actually expect anyone to follow them, or they are desperate. While I'm guessing it is the third, if it's the fourth, we could be in trouble. It's not like we'd lose- If anything, my last encounter goes to show that team plasma is really weak- but desperate people can do terrible things, and our Pokémon might be permanently injured. That would suck, both for me and the Pokémon, although probably more for it.

It would probably be best to stick with Kusanagi. As a recently evolved Servine, the rapid of metamorphosis should still be at least partially in effect. What's more, his defenses are far higher than Panpour's. He should be fine. Still, if only he was in better condition…

As if reading my mind, Cheren pulls out a potion. "Take this. I've already mostly healed my Pokémon, and your Servine is a harder hitter than Flare, anyway." I really need to buy some of my own- this is embarrassing. It's not like being helped is necessarily a bad thing, but I really should have gotten some potions back in Striaton.

Before I can thank him, he walks into the cave. Honestly, that guy. I send out Kusanagi, spray the potion and rush off after him. Does he not know the meaning of wait? If I wasn't in such a hurry, I would have been upset at my wastefulness, but every second I spend making sure the potion touches Servine is a second they have to get away.

When I enter the cave, I can see cheren glaring at the Team Plasma trainers. As I run over, I remember just what Cheren does when he is annoyed. I hope that, for once, he'll display some common sense...

"Black! This bothersome bunch doesn't listen to reason."

Gah, I was hoping to avoid this. When Cheren gets annoyed, his insults go from witty to sad. I doubt they'd take him seriously anyway, but he really dislike being looked down upon. It seems to have sparked a reaction, however, because one of them started to speak.

"That child cannot use a Pokémon to it's full potential. Doesn't that make the pokémon sad? To be kept captive, and never get a chance to be themselves? Your pokémon are the same! Give them to us, Now! Better yet, we'll just take them."

Upon saying that, he hurls out a Patrat. I'm still surprised, however, That monologue really did a 180, and it doesn't make any sense to try and justify their actions if they are going to go ahead and admit to stealing pokémon anyway. The Patrat charges towards me, hoping to take advantage of my distraction. Luckily I have Kusanagi's pokéball in my hand- if I didn't, I probably couldn't have sent it out in time.

"Patrat, go! Beat up this snotty kid, and show him what a real pokémon can do!"

With that, Patrat charges forward and I have to suppress a sigh. Shouting out commands like that isn't a sign of skill- it's a sign of insufficient training. I only do so myself because I haven't been training Servine for long enough to have taught it general strategies. Still, it's good to know that for all his bluster he is still fundamentally unskilled.

"Servine, vine whip. Pin Patrat down."

Servine looks surprised at the fact that I didn't order a direct attack, but readily complies. Just as I suspected, the patrat is weak and is easily bound. From there, I have servine continue wrapping it until it falls unconscious. Despite that anticlimactic start, there's no knowing how many pokémon he has, so we'll have to conserve energy.

Apparently, the answer is none. Go figure.

"How did I lose to a kid?" The surprise is evident in his tone, and it seems like his worldview has taken a major hit. Or maybe I'm just imagining things? Regardless, he didn't seem to expect that, which is heartening.

I can almost here Cheren smirk as he steps over. He's clearly beaten the other member, so this is a clean victory. That's always good to see. "Now, hand over the girl's pokémon. We're going to return it to her, and you aren't going to interfere."

Then from deeper in the cave comes a shout. "You don't have to return it!" Another pair of Plasma members runs up from behind the previous, and those two step aside. Is this a hideout? Or some kind of meeting ground? The first of them, who spoke before, comes a bit closer.

"Not only do you not understand, you stand in our way! Well, there are two of us, and as for you- just give up! We'll show you who is right!"

Cheren seems genuinely confused, and I don't blame him. "Why would pokémon thieves need to justify themselves to us?"

"It doesn't matter, because you won't be needing to know for much longer! Patrat, go!"

"Allright let's do this! Patrat, Go!"

Is… patrat some kind of theme for them? I genuinely don't get it. It isn't like Patrat is popular, or powerful, or really exceptional in any way. Still, if they want to be that way, I see no harm in obliging them.

"Kusanagi, come on out!"

"Flare, lets win this!"

Apparently they want to double team us, because the two Patrats rush at Flare. I'm not too worried for the Pignite, but I suppose it never hurts to play it safe.

"Kusanagi, Hit them with leaf tornado. Spin them around and don't let them move!"

"Flare, light the leaves on fire with ember."

These two patrats seem to be stronger than the previous pair, and at the behest of their trainers they push their way out of the fiery column. They aren't free yet, though- not by the long shot.

"Kusanagi, glare!"

"Flare, flame charge!"

The two watchog are frozen in place- easy pray for slow but powerful attacks. Now if only we had some. Well, I suppose we will have to make do.

"Watchog, bide!"

"You to, Watchog!"

What? No! you don't have them bide. You get them out of the way! What kind of trainers are these? Do they not care about their pokémon, or even winning?

Sure enough, they let their pokémon stand there and get knocked over.. A bright light envelopes Flare, and he begins to evolve.

"Flare, now! Heat crash!"

So, he does have a slow but powerful attack. Well, way to go. The fire builds up around Him, so much so that I can feel it even from 15 feet away. From the wince on Kusanagi's face, I guess that he can feel it as well.

WIth a massive effort, Flare leaps high into the air and comes crashing down. The Watchog are sent flying, which is a bit of a relief. I was afraid they might actually get the bide attack off.

With an anguished cry, the plasma agent that spoke first rushes towards his pokémon. The other simply recalls his, but seems upset as well.

"In order to liberate pokémon from foolish people, we will take their pokémon! Our lord says this, so it must be true." The man says it triumphantly, as though he has found something irrefutable. For once, however, Cheren beats me to the punch.

"What a waste of time. What excuse could possibly justify stealing pokémon from people?"

Taken aback, the man takes a moment to reply.

"Pokémon trainers like you are making pokémon suffer…"

"What do you mean, Pokémon trainers are making pokémon suffer? I don't understand you at all!"

Before he can reply, one of the people from before steps forward.

"We'll give you back the pokémon… But we are aware of how this pokemon suffers from being used by people. Someday, open your eyes to your complicity.

* * *

As we leave, Cheren turns to talk to me.

"Pokémon believe in their trainers and respond to that. How could that possibly be making them suffer?"

"I don't know, Cheren. I don't know..."

But for some reason, my mind flashes back to that encounter…

* * *

"Thank you so much! You brought him back! I won't let him out of my sight again!"

Bianca seems to have calmed her down- she is a far cry from the teary eyed girl she was when Cheren and I went running off. Bianca shoots me a grateful glance- from what I can see, she has obviously been assuring the girl that we would be able to return it. Revealing our failure would not have been good.

"It's time for you to go home, I think. I'll come with you, don't worry. We need to report this."

As she walks away, I have the strangest sense that I have forgotten something…

* * *

A/N-So, I'm back! And not dead (although you probably already knew this). In this chapter, we begin to slide away from the games- although a lot of the text is still lifted, the story is progressing in a different manner. This isn't a direct port of the game, but you should notice many similarities even when all is said and done.

As always, Thank you for reading. Feel free to point out any mistakes, be they factual or grammatical.


	8. Interlude: Arc 1 end

With a breath of relief, she pushed away her computer. That's quite enough for now! If she didn't know better, she'd think that there was more and more every day. There wasn't, though; she'd made a bot to check and it had come out exactly how she'd suspected. Wouldn't it be nice if there was such an easy answer to all her questions? If Pokémon were that easy to understand, she supposed, her work would have been done a long time ago, and she wouldn't this nice job. Well, you win some, you lose some.

Still, it wasn't like they weren't making progress. She, and many other scientists around the world such as the prestigious Professor Oak of Kanto, had been advancing with leaps and bounds. While she was new, Juniper was sure she'd catch up.

"After all, I did find out their secret weapon."

It wasn't some kind of underhanded trick as such, but the idea of using children below the graduate level, who still wanted to explore and search, was a creative one. She was proud of her picks, as well- Black was very dedicated, always filling in the entire report and adding his own comments, even if his priorities were sometimes rather odd. Bianca had a lot of insight in hers, and went the extra mile in caring for her Oshawott. And as for Cheren… well, the effects of Hidden Abilities on battle performance were now obvious.

Still, it's not like there weren't oddities. In her less charitable moments she sometimes thought they might never be explained. It was like the universe was trying to drive her crazy! It followed mathematical laws, precisely, everywhere! Unless Pokémon were involved, in which case all sense went out the window. She'd always subscribed to the idea that if you couldn't understand something, it was because of you and not what you were attempting to learn. The universe seemed ready to put it to the test, though, and it sometimes felt that humans just weren't meant to understand. That was ridiculous, though, wasn't it?

* * *

Bianca looked at Lily and smiled. Wasn't it nice, to be with your Pokémon, playing and having fun? Sometimes she felt that her friends, for all their intelligence, didn't understand that. They were so focused on battling, on their own interests- no, she cut herself off. That wasn't true. After all, no matter what they might say on the matter, she knew Black and Cheren. They adored their Pokémon, and so what if they were focused on their goals as well? That's what goals were. Besides, it wasn't like they were unkind.

The Team Plasma people, on the other hand… how could people be so cruel, and yet claim to be good? Stealing people's Pokémon... Bianca shuddered. What if the next group succeeded?

"Well, I was going to be challenging the gyms anyway. In that case... let's get training. Come on, Shell, Lily- we have work to do.

* * *

Cheren worried. It wasn't like the night before he left, where he had been frantically thinking of anything he could have forgotten. It wasn't like the day before the test, or any other of a hundred times he had worried over an outcome. No, this time it was serious- their lives, and that of their Pokémon were in danger. He wasn't expecting goons to come in after them, or even much consequences for their counter-plasma actions- the police weren't incompetent, and this wasn't some kind of movie. Going after them like that wouldn't help them at all, and if Cheren had gotten anything from Ghetsis' speech it was that the man was frighteningly competent.

Still, by their very nature they'd be coming into conflict. Cheren knew he was a good battler, but he wouldn't kid himself. If someone with a couple years of experience and decent Pokémon battled him, he'd almost certainly lose, no questions asked.

Unlike most of his problems, Cheren couldn't just solve it by working harder. His training plan was pushing what was advisable a bit already, and while Cheren was eager he wasn't an idiot. After all, it didn't matter how strong he and his Pokémon became if their relationship or ability to function was overly impaired. Sure he'd be with Black and Bianca, but that wouldn't last forever and they were at about the same level as he was.

Cheren sat, and worried.

* * *

The kingdom was divided into two camps- The host of the dark and the host of the light. It hadn't always been that way- Just five years ago, there had been no boundaries to separate the two. Even now, there was no conflict- Yet. But the passing of the late king, and his dragon with him, had _changed_ things.

Now the two argued, and the world held its breath.

And then the elder said to the younger- what good is hope, with nothing to back it up? Its simply an illusion. Ideals are meaningless next to reality- You cannot destroy the mountains by wishing them gone. You "plan" will lead nowhere but ruin, with your friends dead beside you and nothing achieved.

And the younger said in reply- what good is all the surety in the world, if it yearns for nothing? You speak of truth, but what good is it if it stands in the way of the future? Such a state of mind is useless- it does no good, and having it is identical to not. It doesn't matter if I can't succeed- at least I set out to try.

I see, then, that we can never agree. I suppose that if we cannot settle our differences in debate, we have but one recourse.

And then, without a warning on the wind, the battle began in earnest.

* * *

 **A/N- Ehhehe, its been a while. I've been distracted, unmotivated, and generally forgot this story existed on my account. I thought I shouldn't procrastinate any longer, though, so here it is. I've actually got the next chapter written up, But it needs editing and I'd like to get a bit further on chapter 10. As always, any feedback is welcome.**


	9. But wait, there's more

_Despite all proposed explanations, theories, and research, the so called type chart has little grounding in modern physics. Some do act as expected- steel is highly resistant to poison because it has no body to be poisoned- to the point that for most battling purposes the Pokémon are immune. Similarly, normal attacks of the body are unlikely to break through modern alloys, and our machinery can shatter rocks. Rocks and ground being weak to water is also sensible, although many question why rocks aren't weak to ice. Others, however, have only the slightest grounding in thermodynamics._

 _The idea that the fire of anything short of a Charizard could melt through steel armor is laughable. The weaker fire types often struggle to light a campfire, much less rival the modern blast furnaces used in the melting of steel. However, steel types display a terrible immersion and fear to heat attacks of any sort. In addition, there is much confusion surrounding the so called "ghost" type…_

 _ **\- Unova University's battle studies course, first day lecture**_

* * *

After the incident was dealt with, I set off towards Nacrene City- the source of my next gym badge. The journey itself was mostly uneventful- while we had a bit or a trouble with a Swoobat. Thanks to its ability simple, it was easily able to keep up with and even surpass my Servine with calm mind and its flying type. Luckily, Kusanagi was able to perform a last minute Pursuit to bypass the defenses and get a KO. I wasn't aware Servine could learn that, but according to the Pokedex, it's one of the more common egg moves.

When I arrive at the town, Cheren is already there. He always seems to beat me places- I think he's avoiding fights on the route.

"Come with me a sec."

Cheren then confidently sets out into the city. After 6 turns, 3 entrances I could have sworn were cul de sacs but weren't until we reach the center.

"Ok, spill. How did you just pull that off?"

I'm pretty surprised. How the heck did he find this out? Pulling my leg like this over me is pretty classic Cheren, but I'm surprised he's familiar enough with the town to pull it off.

"I… might have gotten lost, ok? And then found my way to the pokemon center."

He scratches his head a bit embarrassed, as I just give him a look.

"Are you for real? How long have you even been here?"

"Don't worry, you aren't that far behind me."

As he says this, I notice he's smirking. Dangit, I walked straight into that one.

"You know that that's not what I meant… whatever. Let's just check in."

* * *

This time, I'm not as interested in the sights. Maybe its strange, but spending my time looking isn't as important this time. Maybe it's just because it's not the first one I saw?

No, that's definitely not it. In this case, I'm just excited for the gym battle.

The gym is inside a museum this time; I think I'm starting to see a theme. It just northeast of the pokecenter as well, which is super convenient…

Hey, its N!

"What are you doing here? I thought… I thought you didn't like pokemon to battle."

" I'm not here for the gym, I'm here for the museum, for the knowledge. I... want to see things no one can see. The truths of Pokémon inside Poké Balls. The ideals of how Trainers should be. And a future where Pokémon have become perfect... Do you feel the same?"

Wow, that's pretty deep. I'm not sure why he's talking to me about this, but it's obviously something important to him. I'm not much for philosophy or debating ideas on something other than their practicality, but luckily this is something I feel strongly about.

"Yes, I do N. Knowing things, learning the truth- there's nothing wrong with that. To find new, surprising things is why I'm on this journey to begin with."

"Is that so? I think my friends and I should test you to see if you can see this future, too. Prepare yourself, Black."

N grins and snaps his hand, and a pidove dives down off a nearby roof. Is understanding pokemon truly that robust? How much if this was prepared beforehand?

"Go, Mizaru!"

In an instant, I can see that I just got lucky. Terribly lucky. The pidove is fast, extremely so- I can barely keep track of it, and I'm not even in the battle. Panpour is even worse off, obviously. To be honest, the only reason he's still in the fight is that the attacks are somewhat undisciplined. I have to do something, and fast.

"Mizaru, Bubblebeam! Clear a space in front of you!"

Pidove attempts to cut through, but the sheer amount of bubbles forces it back. We have some breathing room, at least. Now, how to turn this around…

"Mizaru, play nice!" With any luck, the pidove will be rather less reluctant to attack.

"Pidove, I believe in you! Don't fall prey to their tricks."

Ah yes, (s)he has a trainer. This could be a problem. Hopefully, however, it will last long enough.

"Take

careful aim… and fire a water gun!"

Upon the cold water hitting its face, the pidove immediately snaps out of it. Its movements, however, are slowed- upon closer look, it's soaked. Hopefully, It'll be enough for us to pull ahead.

As it turns out, It really isn't. N's pidove is very strong, and I just haven't rained Mizaru anywhere close to enough for it to be on that level. Well, here goes nothing.

"Servine, come on out! Start it off with a vine whip, and don't let it move!"

This is really my only chance. If it gets moving, I essentially lose- while Servine are faster than Pidove, that fact won't save Kusanagi forms it's super effective attacks. Suddenly, an idea strikes me.

"Kusanagi, Glare!" With any luck, the bird will be held in place, and we'll be able to take it out. Well, not luck, it will stand still. The question is whether I have trained him enough, and how N will respond. Of course, Kusanagi can't do much else right now. If a pokemon moves while holding an attack like that, the opponent has a chance to break free if their attention wavers. Now what attacks….

"Leech Seed!"

"Pidove, I know you can do it! Charge a sky attack, and power your way out!"

Just what does he think he's pulling? He can't just make his pokemon stronger by talking to them…

But he can give commands disguised as encouragement. Or maybe as encouragement, I don't know. If I didn't think it was unintentional, I'd have to applaud that as genius. Still, regardless what he may or may not be thinking, I need to do something. The Sky attack can and will bust it right out, which means…

"Release the glare, and blind it with a leaf tornado! When that hits,,. get out of there!"

The moment the glow faded from Kusanagi's eyes, Pidove was off like a shot. The leaves hit it nearly instantly, but barely slow it down. Its enough, though; sky attack is hardly guided fire, especially with the amount of power that went into that one. Kusanagi is more than fast enough to dodge it. No, the problem here is escaping the aftermath.

"Pidove, wing attack. One good hit is all we need"

"Magical leaf, now! Don't let it get close!"

Pidove flies easily through the leaves, but is unable to dodge the homing projectiles. They hit the bird with grace that belies their power. Despite the resistance of flying type pokemon to grass attacks, between this, the leaf tornado, the leech seeds, and the earlier attacks… its looking pretty battered. Now, how to capitalize on that? I know!

"Use vine whip leaf tornado, once more, and the ride the spinning leaves!"

N seems surprised, and I smirk. That would be an excellent move to use here… if we could. As it is, however, it'll keep him guessing.

"Fly up into the top of the attack! Don't let give him more time to tire you out"

Luckily, he doesn't seem to suspect a ruse, and Pidove goes flying straight into Kusanagi's strongest grass attack, head first, and takes a lot of damage before coming out the other end, confused. Just as it thought it had escaped, however, more magical leaves stuck it down.

Is… Is that it? Did we just win? Well, ok. I won't look at a gift horse in the mouth.

N rushes over to the pidove and picks it up. Thankfully, it seems alright- I' not sure what he would do if I hurt it.

"I'm sorry, but it looks like I will be requiring your help. Will you aid me?"

"Timburr, timburr."

Oh, shoot.

* * *

The first thing I notice as it charges at Kusanagi is that it's slow. The second thing I notice, as it hits the ground with its log, is that it's strong. Even though the attack missed, I can see Kusanagi struggling to stay standing. Time to get some space, then.

"You can power through it, just get in close"

"Razor leaf, at the face. Stay out of its range; that's going to hurt if it hits."

Kusanagi is a lot faster, which is great; however, despite having evolved it's much less powerful. While we can dodge the attacks with reasonable ease, staying at a range, if I want Kusanagi to do any real damage back I need to have it get reasonably close, and that leaves us open to counterattack. We can't even trip it, because it isn't moving very fast. So…

"Leech seed. And… toxic.

I'm kind of banking on him knowing that second one, as it'd be really embarrassing if kusanagi doesn't. Most pokemon get it, however, and considering how he already knew Pursuit I'm willing to hope.

Luckily, he does, and it goes off without a hitch. Sure we have to get close to it, but…

OK WHAT HOW THE HECK WHAT- no, I'm dumb. Guts, huh. In other news, grass is green and I'm a moron.

The blow sent Kusanagi flying, tumbling head over heels and bouncing several times before coming to a skidding halt. Kusanagi looks like he's having difficulty standing upright. The only saving grace here is that we've gained some space, but while Timburr is slow it's not that ponderous.

There's only one thing to do, then. Well, on I can think of, I'm sure there are more… no, focus.

"Kusanagi, use synthesis!"

If the reason it's struggling s physical injuries, synthesis will rapidly regenerate it, allowing it to fight. It usually takes too long to use in a battle, but distance is our one advantage here. If the injuries were mental like a concussion it wouldn't be so useful, but for this it's perfect. The question is whether or not we can finish in time.

Kusanagi waits until the last minute, but by the time Timburr is on top of him, he's already moving. Neither one is looking that good right now. And the battle is anyone's game. Heh. As If we'd lose.

"Once more Kusanagi, Leaf Tornado! Finish it!"

"Power through, Timburr. It's exhausted, and you can do it!"

The leaves nearly make the fighting type stumble, but there are far fewer of them than earlier, and it manages to make it out of the cloud while Kusanagi is still immobilized. Just as it's about to finish the fight,however, it keels over from the combined damage. That's way, way closer than I'd like.

"Will you, too help me here?"

"Typole, Tym!"

Not another one...

* * *

A/N: Do you guys think I should be rolling dice for this? Having the fights be powered by plot is somewhat bugging me, especially considering how luck reliant competitive Pokemon actually is. On the other hand, it might, ya know, mess up the plot :)

Also woo, way ahead of schedule. I think I'll be doing rewrite of some parts of the early chapters- I'm not too happy about them. Please let me know if I contradict myself.


	10. What the future holds

"It is well known, or at least widely suspected, that out our universe is artificial.

Don't be so surprised- it's actually quite a reasonable assumption. The more we explore and advance, the less it seems to fit together. How does a pokéball store all of the information inherent in a Pokémon? Many theorize that it doesn't, and that they are merely stored in a pocket dimension, but this is obviously untrue when examined. The Pokémon are turned incorporeal and experience no time passing. While this is a possible result, it has to be made that way on purpose, and still fails to explain how a sphere made of plastic causes spacetime to curve.

Similar problems exist with the idea that they are turned into energy and stored. Simply put, such a device would take information technology hundreds of years more advanced than our own- and we have been able to create them by carving the fruit of a tree.

Of course, the implausibility does not simply end there. Pokemon themselves are the only known things with the ability to violate the conservation of energy, even taking into account the possibility of fusion or other ways of direct conversion. To the best of our measurements, the imputs of Pokemon match their outputs- with the exception of their attacks. Furthermore, while exhausted Pokemon have difficulties launching attacks, using these "moves" does not seem to appreciably tire the Pokemon in a way that is separate from the simple motions involved. Things in nature are only complex for two reasons- to make more of themselves, which many of these changes do not- and intelligent design."

\- Excerpt from the lectures of Jamie Murphy, PHD

"Philosophers say a great deal about what is absolutely neccesary for science, and it is always, as far as one can see, rather naive, and probably wrong. The only rule of science is that ideas are supported by observations."

-Richard Feynman

If N had to have a third pokemon, this is definitely the best one I could ask for. It's weak to grass, it's mediocre overall, a basic evolution, and lacks a way to really harm grass types. Of course, all that goes out the window right now. Kusanagi is on its last legs, and can barely manage an attack.

Well, nothing for it. We are going to have to pull something.

"Kusanagi, begin a synthesis. Start to recover health."

"Tympole, close in a bit, and then use water gun."

The urgency has gone from our tones. At this point, it doesn't really matter, although of course he'll try and interrupt what I'm planning. Still, we aren't out yet, and at the rate we are going... I have about 30 seconds to find a solution. Ok, I can work with that.

Ok, so what I want is for Tympole to get knocked out. Ordinarily I might be able to make it just look like it would be, but N can understand Pokemon, so that bluff would come apart. In order to hit it hard enough, we are going to have to close with them. N also clearly seems to know this, seeing as Tympole is attacking from a range with water moves rather than up close. Now, how do I change that?

Well, I do have that closing move from before- pursuit. It's really my only way to speed up Kusanagi. It only works on fleeing foes, however, so that still begs the question- how do I get them to retreat? Well, he wants to stay at range, so that means...

"Kusanagi, go up and get him."

"Stand your ground. They won't be able to reach you before you knock them out."

Ok, then. How do I increase the threat…

"Begin charging a razor leaf!"

This is going to be costly, but hopefully we can reuse it…

"Step back, Tympole. It doesn't have a lot of range."

"Pursuit, now! Get in close and swing a leaf blade!"

As I watch, hoping beyond hope, I see the dark energy briefly form over the Servine before Kusanagi disappears in a flicker, appearing next to Tympole. The leaves only form for a moment, but it's more than enough. Tympole is clearly less experienced than his other mons, and it's weak to grass as well. Kusanagi also keels over from the effort, but self KO's have been an accepting part of victory for centuries. Did- did we do it? Or or does he have another friend, squirrelled away somewhere?

"I cannot see the future yet... the world is still to be determined..."

"It always is, N. When we deal with the future, all we have is probabilities. If it isn't specifically prohibited, we cannot exclude it from possibility. If you want to know what will happen, change it so you know it in advance."

"Yes, I know that- in order to get the future I want, I need to take control of it, but right now, my friends and I aren't strong enough to save all Pokémon. Maybe I can't solve the equation that will change the world. So, I need power... power enough to make anyone agree with me, power enough to tip the scale."

To save all Pokémon, huh. He certainly doesn't aim small. It's rare to see something like this- all to often, people are ambitious instead of having an ambition, and so nothing changes. Drive or no. However, he won't get anywhere without a plan, or a clear idea of what he has to fix. As I open my mouth to tell him this, however, he continues speaking.

"After battling you, I know what power I need. Zekrom! The legendary pokemon that, along with the hero, created the Unova region. I will find it, and make its power my own.

What. Isn't Zekrom a myth? Why does he think that he's better than everyone else, to the point that he can find what eluded every other searcher? No, that's a stupid thought- people don't think creatively, too much just stops them from properly attempting a problem like that, especially taking into account that only those commonly considered crazy try. Of course, he's a human just like the rest of us, so there isn't any reason to expect him to do differently.

"What's your plan, N? Surely you aren't just hoping that you will do differently than everyone else- if Zekrom exists, it isn't hiding in the places people look for it. If you look without a plan, you are just asking to get dissapointed. Besides, aren't there supposedly requirements, in order for Zekrom to obey you?"

To my surprise, he repeats something eerily similar in tone to my earlier thoughts.

"If the obvious places have been picked bare, then you look in the less obvious places. Most people think I'm almost the exact same way, so very little ground was actually covered. Besides which, I have a lead, from an actually reputable source. Despite how I sounded earlier, I'm not going off half cocked. Zekrom will only respond to the true hero? Fine, it's my turn to become that hero-and you and I will be friends!"

Heh. Every time I think I understand, he turns it around. First his views on Pokemon, then his freinds, and now this? I've always had difficulty making freinds- I didn't have anything beyond acquaintances and role models until I met Cheren and Bianca, but this… I barely met him, but it feels like I've known him for years. We really are too similar.

"I'll look forward to it, N, but don't expect me to slack off either. Maybes hen your dream comes true, why, you'll find me already there!"

"And I'll look forward to that, too. Well, until then- We will definitely meet again."

With that, he leaves, with all his fervor and determination going with him. I don't need it, though- he may be the genuine article, a real idealist, but I'm me, and I have confidence in myself. Maybe he has something that I don't, but that doesn't mean he's going to win this race of ours. Humanity isn't the strongest race on the planet because of its charisma or power- we certainly can't compete with Pokemon for the latter. No, our advantage is our ingenuity and tenacity.

"Come on, Kusanagi, we have some training to do. Reshiram isn't going to catch itself."

Maybe he does have advantages, maybe he has more Pokemon, maybe he knows where Zekrom is. If that's the case… Well, that just means I have to work harder.

Battling the wild Pokemon in Pinwheel forest isn't a relief, exactly, but it's definitely a nice breather. The trainer battles have required me to think up new strategies, to make mistakes, and to court loss at every step. Wild Pokemon, as intelligent as they are, just don't present the same challenge- the more effort they spend thinking, the less attention they are paying to the fight. Furthermore, they are by and large much less powerful than my Pokemon are, going down in just a few hits. It's just as well I'm training Mizaru, though- unlike Kusanagi, the bugs that swarm around here don't resist his attacks.

That doesn't mean it's easy, though, by any means. If there ever was a challenge designed to frustrate trainers, it's grinding. If anything, the simplistic nature of the battle makes it that much harder to pay attention, and I can feel that it's affecting my pokemon as well. The battle with N showed a lack of endurance, and I'm nowhere near ready to take on a gym if that's the most effort I can put out. I could catch more Pokemon, but that's just treating the symptoms, not dealing with the problem. There's only one solution: to step up my game, and help my Pokemon become stronger.

"Come on, Mizaru, take a break. Kusanagi, you're up!"

Of course, I can't risk Kusanagi being too injured. If he gets knocked out, well, Mizaru is one tough battle from fainting. That doesn't mean I can't train him, of course, but it means I need to be clever about it. Well, that and avoid getting into fights with Venipede.

"Kusanagi, here's what we'll do. When you see a Sewaddle, don't bother with subtlety…"

Here, training with my Pokemon in the forest, and now with an ambition to chase? This isn't how I imagined my morning going, but it's not unwelcome. I needed the wake up call- in retrospect my first badge had been nothing short of luck. If they had all been as perceptive as Chile, if they hadn't made mistake after mistake… Well, let it suffice to say that it won't happen again. And who knows? If this all goes well, I might even end up taking over the world.

A/N: This chapter has been a longtime coming, for a variety of reasons. First of all, I've been ignoring it from a lack of interest. My first draft was terrible, and for a while it sapped all my enthusiasm to continue. Furthermore, my time online had been limited, and when I've had access to the internet this was not the top priority. Nevertheless, here it is, and I hope you enjoy.

As always, all reviews and comments are appreciated.


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